In case you missed it, something Epic is coming to central Florida this summer. That’s right, Disney World is debuting “Cool Kid Summer” this year! Okay, that’s probably not the first thing that came to mind, which speaks volumes as to what exactly is going on here. In this post, we’ll talk about Disney World’s new marketing effort seasonal celebration and what we expect from Cool Kid Summer.
Here’s What We Know About Cool Kid Summer
To some extent, “Cool Kid Summer” is just a marketing label that Disney is giving to summer 2025. While there are some offerings that will seemingly be exclusive to this time period, it’s not as if there will be an exclusive parade or nighttime show. I’d be surprised to even see branded merchandise.
The major upside of this marketing effort comes in the form of discounts, including 50% off kids’ tickets. Disney has also decided to have both water parks open together for the first time since 2019.
The marketing push also occurs alongside some big new arrivals at the parks. On May 27, The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure and Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After will both debut at Hollywood Studios. Plus, Later this summer will bring the debut of Disney Starlight, the new nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom.
In early May, Disney released some more information on what we can expect (they also rebranded from “Cool KID SUMMER” to “Cool Kid Summer”, but I’m the only one who cares about that). Here’s a look at what Disney has confirmed…
Cool Kid Summer Resort-Wide Offerings
Before we get to the specific parks, let’s talk about two offerings that apply to Walt Disney World Resort as a whole…
Character encounters come to Early Entry. Early Entry allows guests of Disney hotels and select partner hotels access to select rides 30 minutes before the parks open to other guests. As part of Cool Kid Summer, character “encounters” will be added to Early Entry.
I’m interested to see how this plays out—will these be rare characters or more typical ones? Will they be structured greetings or just roaming characters (a rarity at Disney World). And the logistics are interesting, too. Most recently, Hollywood Studios has all guests entering the park together while only allowing guests with Early Entry to queue for rides. In a situation like this, any character roaming in most areas of the park would be enjoyed by all guests equally.
Unique offerings coming to four hotels. Disney calls out four hotels—Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Wilderness Lodge—as offering “new Disney-themed activities” including characters with “set appearance times.” Ongoing construction has me staying away from Pop Century this year, but those other three are all excellent hotel options. Until details are announced, I wouldn’t change my hotel pick just for these amorphous offerings, but if I were on the fence I’d be happy to lean toward any of those other three.
Cool Kid Summer Offerings at EPCOT
Goofy takes over EPCOT’s CommuniCore Hall. EPCOT’s CommuniCore Hall (above) is the new indoor flex space in the front area of the park. It’s most often used for seating, but as part of Cool Kid Summer, Goofy will transform it into the “ultimate game party and play space.” The space will feature “DJ-led dance parties and join your favorite games…like Loopy Limbo and Parachutes ‘n’ Pipsqueaks.”
Cool Kid Summer Offerings at Magic Kingdom
There will be two “Kid Zones” at Magic Kingdom. Storybook Circus will host a dance party "full of pop-up silliness with Pluto" alongside stilt walkers and jugglers. And in Tomorrowland, Rocket Tower Plaza Stage will host a dance party with Stitch, and Merchant of Venus will host an "out-of-this-world craft."
I am a bit curious about this entire effort. At the last Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party we attended, there were basic crafts set up in Storybook Circus. This is a “nice” addition, but not really in keeping with the cost of the event. With spaces like Tom Sawyer Island and the Boneyard closing soon, it’s more important than ever for Disney to deliver with these secondary offerings.
Cool Kid Summer Offerings at Animal Kingdom
Rafiki's Planet Watch will host “hands-on crafting activities all about pollinators, like bees and butterflies.” There will be a new, “limited-time” Wilderness Explorers badge. (Wilderness Explorers is pretty underrated, even by us, in my opinion.) Finally, Discovery Island will host “an interactive sing-along with the Dino Institute Intern celebrating all the amazing animals spotted throughout the park.”
Cool Kid Summer Offerings at Hollywood Studios
At Hollywood Studios, Animation Courtyard will be transformed into a space for games and crafts. There will be magicians, jump rope performers, and surprise character appearances, too. Disney Jr. Play and Dance will seemingly be temporarily replaced by a full-time dance party, “Get Animated.”
Conclusions
Altogether, this seems to be a pretty straightforward marketing push. While I hope some of the offerings surprise—CommuniCore Hall could use a win—I’m not counting on any of this to make or break a 2025 summer trip.
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